Featured Research

from universities, journals, and other organizations

New Species Of Diatom Discovered By University of Georgia Scientist

Date:

December 4, 2005

Source:

University of Georgia

Summary:

Scientists from University of Georgia, the Science Museum of Minnesota and University of Michigan describe a new species of diatom, Hannaea superiorensis, found primarily in Lake Superior. Prior to its discovery, the new species of photosynthetic algae was combined with another group of diatoms found in cold, pristine rivers and streams around the world. This is now the only described species of the genus Hannaea that has adapted to living in a lake environment.

Share This

Lake Superior has a new native resident. It’s been hanging around the shore for years, but until now it was regarded as an intercontinental drifter, not a homegrown local. So say Rebecca Bixby of the University of Georgia and fellow researchers Mark Edlund of the Science Museum of Minnesota and Eugene Stoermer from the University of Michigan. In the latest issue of Diatom Research, the scientists describe a new species of diatom, Hannaea superiorensis, found primarily in Lake Superior. Prior to its discovery, the new species of photosynthetic algae was combined with another group of diatoms found in cold, pristine rivers and streams around the world. This is now the only described species of the genus Hannaea that has adapted to living in a lake environment and inhabits one lake in particular.

Related Articles

Diatoms are microscopic, single-celled algae with cell walls composed of silica. The newly described diatom is boomerang-shaped and lives in unusual pincushion-like colonies attached to rocks in the waves along the shore of Lake Superior. Bixby likened the discovery in the well-studied inland waters “to finding a new kind of tree on a street you've walked down a hundred times.”

“When you look at it carefully under the microscope and compare it to other diatoms, it clearly is different from the other species it had previously been grouped with,” said Bixby, a postdoctoral researcher with the Institute of Ecology. “Most obvious is the length -- Hannaea superiorensis is nearly twice as long as other species in the genus Hannaea.”

To many people, diatoms are best known for their industrial uses. For years, fossil deposits of diatoms called diatomaceous earth have been mined for uses in filters, pesticides, insulation, paint, ceramic additives, and cleaning abrasives. As scientists have learned how different species of diatoms respond to different environmental conditions, though, these algae have become critical to understanding how bodies of water are affected by climate change and human impacts.

“What makes Hannaea superiorensis so special is that it is native and endemic to Lake Superior -- it is not a new exotic species or an invader,” said Bixby. The term “endemic” describes organisms distributed over a particular, relatively limited geographic area. “It is unusual to find new species that are native to the environment, compared to invasive species that have been introduced to that environment. New endemics are more commonly found in less explored regions like tropical rainforests or remote islands, in part because they are often more sensitive to environmental change.”

“We long ago learned our lesson in the Great Lakes of how vulnerable endemic species are,” added Edlund. “The blue pike in Lake Erie, several large whitefish species in Lakes Michigan and Huron, and even a diatom, Cyclotella americana, have gone extinct in the Great Lakes from overfishing, introduction of exotic species, and pollution.”

The existence of a diatom unique to Lake Superior may help scientists understand the changes the lake has undergone, and how diatoms adapt to different conditions. “The fact that Hannaea superiorensis is only distributed along the shore of Lake Superior, and doesn’t live in rivers, supports the hypothesis that it may have speciated from a close relative, Hannaea arcus, which is river-dwelling in this area,” Bixby said. Molecular analysis, analysis of historical samples, and further river surveys in the region may further support this hypothesis.

The genus Hannaea is named for G. Dallas Hanna, a pioneering American diatomist. The word superiorensis is a Latinization of the new species' home, Lake Superior.

University of Georgia. "New Species Of Diatom Discovered By University of Georgia Scientist." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 4 December 2005. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/12/051204103128.htm>.

University of Georgia. (2005, December 4). New Species Of Diatom Discovered By University of Georgia Scientist. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 3, 2015 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/12/051204103128.htm

University of Georgia. "New Species Of Diatom Discovered By University of Georgia Scientist." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/12/051204103128.htm (accessed March 3, 2015).

More From ScienceDaily

More Plants & Animals News

Featured Research

Mar. 3, 2015 — While studying a ground-nesting bird population near El Reno, Okla., a research team found that stress during a severe weather outbreak of May 31, 2013, had manifested itself into malformations in ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — The 3-D printing scene, a growing favorite of do-it-yourselfers, has spread to the study of plasma physics. With a series of experiments, researchers have found that 3-D printers can be an important ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Most people consume more salt than they need and therefore have a higher risk of heart disease and stroke, which are the two leading causes of death worldwide. But a new study reveals that dietary ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — By examining the forces that the segments of mosquito legs generate against a water surface, researchers have unraveled the mechanical logic that allows the mosquitoes to walk on water, which may ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Pediatric otolaryngologists and surgeons are concerned with parents getting the wrong message regarding the safety/desirability of letting babies and young children eat peanuts to prevent them from ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Researchers have developed a new way of rapidly screening yeasts that could help produce more sustainable biofuels. The new technique could also be a boon in the search for new ways of deriving ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Similar to humans and animals, plants possess an innate immune system that protects them from invading pathogens. Molecular structures that only occur in pathogens enable their recognition and ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — For almost a century, scientists have been puzzled by a process that is crucial to much of the life in Earth's oceans: Why does calcium carbonate, the tough material of seashells and corals, ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — To simulate chimp behavior, scientists created a computer model based on equations normally used to describe the movement of atoms and molecules in a confined space. An interdisciplinary research ... full story

Featured Videos

Rare Goblin Shark Found in Australia

AFP (Mar. 3, 2015) — A goblin shark, a rare sea creature described as an &apos;alien of the deep&apos; is found off Australia and delivered to the Australian Museum in Sydney. Duration: 01:25
Video provided by AFP

Zookeepers Copy Animal Poses In Hilarious Viral Photos

Buzz60 (Mar. 2, 2015) — Zookeepers at the Symbio Wildlife Park in Helensburgh, Australia decided to take some of their favorite animal photos and recreate them by posing just like the animals. Jen Markham (@jenmarkham) has the story.
Video provided by Buzz60

Related Stories

Dec. 12, 2014 — A new fish species, Salmo kottelati, has been described from the Alak1r Stream draining to Mediterranean Sea in Anatolia. The new species is currently only known from this specific locality. It ... full story

Aug. 6, 2013 — The extremely long-legged Spider Water Beetles have received increasing attention in science and media lately. Biologists have now discovered two new species, emphasizing their usefulness as water ... full story

Mar. 8, 2013 — A new fish species, Alburnoides manyasensis, has been described from the Koca Stream drainage of Lake Manyas, Marmara Sea basin in Anatolia and is currently associated with only this specific ... full story

July 7, 2011 — Remarkable for their exquisite, glass-like cell walls in every imaginable 3-D shape and pattern -- and important for their role as bio-indicators of water quality -- diatoms are the predominant group ... full story

Apr. 6, 2011 — Biologically diverse streams are better at cleaning up pollutants than less rich waterways, and an ecologist says he has uncovered the long-sought mechanism that explains why this is ... full story

ScienceDaily features breaking news and videos about the latest discoveries in health, technology, the environment, and more -- from major news services and leading universities, scientific journals, and research organizations.